Geka is in growth mode following the opening of its new, expanded headquarters in Bechhofen. The German cosmetics applicator specialist used last week’s trade show MakeUp in Paris as a launchpad for its latest products, including molded fiber brushes and micro bristle applicators.
Change is afoot at Germany’s Geka. The company has completed the expansion of its Bechhofen site, and is now part of medmix following the spin-off of Geka owner Sulzer‘s Applicator Systems division.
“The big news at Geka is that the expansion of our Bechhofen production site is complete,” Geka CEO Florent Lafond told Luxe Packaging Insight. At the plant, which has almost doubled in size to 22,000m2, the company has increased its in-house decoration capabilities in a bid to be more agile. “Our decoration unit will be at full capacity next year, offering screenprinting, metallization and lacquering,” explains Lafond. Sustainable manufacturing is also a focus at the site: improvements will be made to injection blow molding via optimized use of resins and reduced energy consumption, the supplier highlights.
Since September this year, Geka has been part of Swiss company medmix, created when Sulzer spun off its Applicator Systems Division. medmix is specialized in high-precision delivery devices, with Geka comprising its Beauty unit. “There were already synergies with Sulzer, but now there is an even stronger focus on applicators,” says Lafond.
There are no shortage of new products at Geka, as evidenced by the collections presented at last week’s MakeUp in Paris. Specially developed for the show with its Parisian theme is L’Amour collection, which consists of four products. They include a bi-injected pureDEFINITION molded mascara brush made using Geka’s Sandwich technology. With its rows of conical bristles and slim wedge-shaped discs, the hourglass-shaped brush is designed to lengthen, curl and add volume to lashes. The metal pack in sky blue and white is decorated with silver screenprinting. The mascara brush scooped a MakeUp in Paris IT Products Award at the show, with Frédéric Duquet, Head of R&D and innovation at Geka commenting that “our mission was to develop an applicator that delivers high-impact yet effortless results, even for the thinnest and shortest lashes.” Also in the L’Amour collection is flawlessBROW mini fiber brush for brows that combines longer bristles for combing with shorter bristles for defining and shaping.
Geka also showed its For Me care collection at the show: a six-piece kit housed in a vegan leather bag offering a skin rescue product, concealer, mascara, brow gel, lip oil and lip stain. Ideal for skincare treatment, such as vitamin C application, the Skin Rescue item features Geka’s micro bristle fusionAPPLICATOR for precise application. The Lash Crush Mascara, meanwhile, is a vegan formula designed to thicken and separate the lashes thanks to the sensitiveDream twisted wire brush. It uses Geka’s EOS green fiber technology, with fibers derived from castor oil. The irregular surface is designed for optimum loading and application, while the sponge-like foam outer shell makes the brush particularly suited to sensitive eyes.
So how does Geka see 2022? “The big topic for next year is inflation,” Lafond declares. “There is a raw materials shortage yes, but we are managing. In terms of pricing, however, things are more than challenging; transport in particular is very tricky.”
